Pencil

ABSTRACT

Described is a pencil with two refills at mutually opposite ends. Both refills are axially displaceable. Adjusting spindles respectively serve for axial displacement, of which a first adjusting spindle is tubular and there is at least one first operating position in which the second adjusting spindle projects with its end remote from the second refill into the first adjusting spindle. According to the invention it is provided that there is at least one second operating position in which the second adjusting spindle does not project with its end remote from the second refill into the first adjusting spindle. There is also provided a guide means which is not identical to the first adjusting spindle, for preventing the end, remote from the second refill, of the second adjusting spindle from tilting transversely with respect to the axial direction at least in the second operating position.

The invention concerns a pencil having a holding barrel with two ends, afirst adjusting sleeve which is held at a first end of the holdingbarrel in such a way that it can be rotated with respect to the holdingbarrel, a first refill which is coupled to the first adjusting sleeve bymeans of a first transmission means having the first adjusting spindle,in such a way that it is displaced upon rotation of the first adjustingsleeve with respect to the holding barrel in the axial direction of thefirst adjusting sleeve, a second adjusting sleeve which is held at asecond end of the holding barrel in such a way that it can be rotatedwith respect to the holding barrel, and a second refill which is coupledto the second adjusting sleeve by means of a second transmission meanshaving a second adjusting spindle, in such a way that it is displacedupon rotation of the second adjusting sleeve with respect to the holdingbarrel in the axial direction of the second adjusting sleeve, whereinthe first adjusting spindle is tubular and there is at least one firstoperating position in which the second adjusting spindle projects withits end remote from the second refill into the first adjusting spindle.

Pencils of the kind set forth in the opening part of this specificationare known, for example from EP 0 492 266 B1. They may involve forexample cosmetic pencils. It will be appreciated however that they mayalso be pencils or crayons for other purposes, such as for examplewriting, drawing, painting or marking. The applicator elements arrangedat the free ends of the sticks or refills can be of any desiredconfiguration and can be held in any manner. It is for example alsopossible to use sticks or refills with applicator elements for writingfluids as well as solid refills or sticks.

A problem which arises with the known pencils is that the secondadjusting spindle is not reliably supported and guided at its end remotefrom the second refill, when the second adjusting spindle does notproject into the first adjusting spindle. That is the case in particularwhen both adjusting spindles or refills are displaced outwardly beyond acertain amount.

Admittedly it is theoretically possible to limit the maximumdisplacement of the two adjusting spindles or refills to an amount suchthat the second adjusting spindle still just projects into the firstadjusting spindle. Limiting the travel in that way however would involvea corresponding limitation on the refill length and thus the refillmass, in particular when using self-consuming refills.

Accordingly the object of the present invention is to improve a pencilof the kind set forth in the opening part of this specification, such asto ensure that the second adjusting spindle is reliably guided or heldwithout correspondingly limiting the maximum refill length.

In accordance with the invention that object is attained in that thereis at least one second operating position in which the second adjustingspindle does not project with its end remote from the second refill intothe first adjusting spindle, and there is provided a guide means whichis not identical to the first adjusting spindle for preventing the endof the second adjusting spindle, which is remote from the second refill,from tilting transversely with respect to the axial direction at leastin the second operating position.

In other words, in accordance with the invention the two adjustingspindles or the two refills or sticks can be extended to such an extent,more specifically into the second operating position referred to above,that the second adjusting spindle no longer projects into the firstadjusting spindle. Nonetheless, tilting of the end of the secondadjusting spindle, which is remote from the second refill, transverselywith respect to the axial direction, is prevented, even if not by thefirst adjusting spindle. On the contrary a separate guide means isprovided for that purpose.

In that way the amount by which the two refills are extended is nolonger limited by the need to prevent the second adjusting spindle fromtilting as referred to above, by means of the first adjusting spindle.Nonetheless tilting is reliably prevented, more specifically by virtueof the guide means.

In accordance with the invention it is preferably provided that theguide means prevents the end, remote from the second refill, of thesecond adjusting spindle from tilting transversely with respect to theaxial direction, in each operating position. In other words, it isadmittedly provided that the second adjusting spindle projects into thefirst adjusting spindle, at least in the first operating position. Inthat case however the second adjusting spindle does not prevent thefirst adjusting spindle from tilting transversely with respect to theaxial direction. The guide means is preferably provided in accordancewith the invention for that purpose.

It will be appreciated that the end of the first adjusting spindle, thatis remote from the first refill, can be prevented from tiltingtransversely with respect to the axial direction. It is preferablyprovided in accordance with the invention however that the guide meansprevents the end, remote from the first refill, of the first adjustingspindle from tilting transversely with respect to the axial direction,in each operating position. That prevention action can be provided as analternative to or in addition to other prevention actions.

The guide means can in principle be of any desired configuration.Preferably in accordance with the invention however it is in the form ofa sleeve. In that arrangement, the sleeve accommodates on the one handthe second adjusting spindle while on the other hand it is itselfaccommodated by the first adjusting spindle. In that way it can preventboth adjusting spindles from tilting transversely with respect to theaxial direction.

Preferably the guide sleeve is closed at its end remote from the secondrefill. In that way, for example the two refills can be kept separatedfrom each other in liquid-tight and gas-tight relationship, which isadvantageous for example when one of the two refills contains a volatilecomponent while the other refill is in powder form. In such a case morespecifically there is a risk of the volatile component contaminating thepowder.

The invention is described in greater detail hereinafter with furtherfeatures thereof by means of a preferred embodiment with reference tothe drawing in which:

The single FIGURE is a view in axial section of a preferred embodimentof the invention.

The double-refill or double-stick pencil shown in the drawing concerns acosmetic pencil which, at the end shown downwardly in the drawing, has arefill or stick with a flat application region, that is to say forexample a lipstick, while the refill or stick which is disposed upwardlyin the drawing is a stick or refill which rather converges to a point ortip, for example a liner.

The illustrated pencil has a holding barrel 10 into which a firstadjusting sleeve 12 is fitted at the lower end. In this case the firstadjusting sleeve 12 is admittedly held axially immovably with respect tothe holding barrel 10 by suitable measures (for example a snap-actionlocking arrangement). It is however rotatable with respect to theholding barrel 10. Disposed within the first adjusting sleeve 12 is afirst refill holder 14 having a first cavity 16 for receiving refillmaterial (not shown). At its end which is upward in the drawing, thefirst refill holder 14 carries a first adjusting spindle 18 which ishollow and which carries a screwthread on its outside. Of thescrewthread, a thread flight which is shown in section is identified byreference numeral 20.

A guide sleeve 22 projects into the first adjusting spindle 18. Thefirst adjusting spindle 18 is held axially displaceably and rotatablywith respect to the guide sleeve 22.

In its interior, the guide sleeve 22 accommodates a second adjustingspindle 24. The second adjusting spindle 24 is also held axiallydisplaceably and rotatably with respect to the guide sleeve 22. On itsoutside peripheral surface the second adjusting spindle 24 has ascrewthread of which a thread flight which is shown in section isidentified by reference numeral 26. At its end which is shown upwardlyin the drawing, the second adjusting spindle is rigidly connected to asecond refill holder 28. The second refill holder 28 projects into asecond adjusting sleeve 30. It has a second cavity 32 for receiving astick or refill.

For co-operating with the above-mentioned external screwthreads on thetwo adjusting spindles, there are provided internally screwthreadedelements 34 and 36 which are non-rotatably and axially immovably coupledto the holding barrel 10.

In the embodiment illustrated in the drawing, the internallyscrewthreaded element 34 is produced in one piece together with thefirst adjusting sleeve 12, by injection molding. After the internallyscrewthreaded element 34 has been introduced into the end of the holdingbarrel 10, which is illustrated downwardly in the drawing, the firstadjusting sleeve 12 is rotated with respect to the holding barrel 10. Asthe holding barrel 10, in the region of the internally screwthreadedelement 34, and the internally screwthreaded element 34 itself, are eachof a nonround contour, the internally screwthreaded element 34 cannot berotated with respect to the holding barrel 10. On the contrary, it isrotated with the holding barrel 10 relative to the first adjustingsleeve 12 whereby the internally screwthreaded element 34 breaks awayfrom the adjusting sleeve 12. A desired-rupture location is providedbetween those two component parts, for that purpose.

In the illustrated embodiment, the internally screwthreaded element 36is formed in one piece with the guide sleeve 32. It is also produced inone piece with an intermediate sleeve 38. In this case, the internallyscrewthreaded element 36 is designed to be resilient in the radialdirection. In the opened condition therefore the second adjustingspindle can be introduced into the internally screwthreaded element 36.It is only for the purposes of introducing the internally screwthreadedelement 36 with the second adjusting spindle 24 fitting therein into theholding barrel 10, that the internally screwthreaded element 36 engagesinto the male screwthread provided on the second adjusting spindle.

The first refill holder 14 and the first adjusting sleeve 12 areadmittedly non-rotatably coupled together, but they are axiallydisplaceable relative to each other. The same applies for the secondadjusting sleeve 30 and the second refill holder 28. Rotationalcouplings of that kind with at the same time axial displaceability aregenerally known, and for that reason they do not have to be described indetail here. For example, they can be embodied by means of non-round,interengaging contours.

A cap 40 and 42 respectively can be fitted on to both ends of theillustrated pencil in order to protect the respective sticks or refills,for example to prevent them from drying out.

A similar purpose is served by that feature whereby the guide sleeve 22is closed at its end which is illustrated downwardly in the drawing.That prevents the two refills of the pencil from adversely affectingeach other, for example by virtue of volatile constituents in the onerefill contaminating the other. In addition, that configuration forms anabutment which limits axial displacement of the second adjusting spindledownwardly in the drawing.

Displacement of the refills takes place in the following manner, in thecase of the embodiment illustrated in the drawing:

To displace the refill at the end which is downward in the drawing, thefirst adjusting sleeve 12 is rotated relative to the holding barrel 10.In that way, the first refill holder 14 which is connected to the firstadjusting sleeve 12 also rotates, with the first adjusting spindle 18mounted thereto. Due to the screwthreaded engagement of the internallyscrewthreaded element 34 which is non-rotatably connected to the holdingbarrel 10, in the above-mentioned rotary movement the first refillholder 14 and the first adjusting spindle 18 are displaced axially withrespect to the holding barrel whereby the refill which is held by thefirst refill holder 14 can be displaced axially with respect to theholding barrel 10.

In a similar manner, axial displacement of the refill which is disposedat the upper end is effected by rotation of the second adjusting sleeve30 with respect to the holding barrel 10. More specifically, with thesecond adjusting sleeve 30, the second refill holder 28 and the secondadjusting spindle 24 also rotate, which by virtue of the screwthreadedengagement with the internally screwthreaded element 36 results in axialdisplacement of the second adjusting spindle 24 and the second refillholder 28 with the stick or refill held therein.

In the condition illustrated in the drawing, that is to say when bothrefills or sticks are completely retracted, the two adjusting spindles18 and 24 are arranged in such a way that one extends into the other,thereby minimising the axial structural length of the overall pencil.When both refills are extended to the maximum degree, then in thedrawing the lower end of the second adjusting spindle 24 is above theupper end of the first 25 adjusting spindle 18. In such a conditiontherefore the two adjusting spindles can no longer secure each other toprevent tilting transversely with respect to the axial direction. Thatsecuring function however is implemented by the guide sleeve 22 intowhich the second adjusting spindle 24 still extends in theabove-indicated condition of maximum extension of the refills, while thefirst adjusting spindle 18 still just embraces the guide sleeve 28.

The features of the invention disclosed in the description, the claimsand the drawing can be essential both individually and also in anycombinations for carrying out the invention in its various embodiments.

What is claimed is:
 1. A pencil comprising: a holding barrel having afirst end and a second end; a first adjusting sleeve which is rotatablymounted on the first end of the holding barrel; a first refill coupledto the first adjusting sleeve by first adjusting spindle means fordisplacing the first refill in an axial direction of the first adjustingsleeve upon rotation of the first adjusting sleeve with respect to theholding barrel; a second adjusting sleeve which is rotatably mounted onthe second end of the holding barrel; a second refill coupled to thesecond adjusting sleeve by second adjusting spindle means for displacingthe second refill in the axial direction upon rotation of the secondadjusting sleeve with respect to the holding barrel; the first adjustingspindle means has a tubular portion and the second adjusting spindlemeans has an end remote from the second refill which projects into thetubular portion in a first operating position and is removed from thetubular portion in a second operating position; and guide meansextending at least partially between the first adjusting spindle meanstoward the second refill for preventing the end of the second adjustingspindle means remote from the second refill from tilting transverselywith respect to the axial direction when in the second operatingposition.
 2. A pencil as set forth in claim 1 wherein the guide meansprevents the end, which is remote from the second refill, of the secondadjusting spindle means from tilting transversely with respect to theaxial direction in the first operating position.
 3. A pencil as setforth in claim 1 wherein the guide means prevents the end, which isremote from the first refill, of the first adjusting spindle fromtilting transversely with respect to the axial direction in bothoperating position.
 4. A pencil as set forth in claim 1 wherein theguide means is in the form of a sleeve.
 5. A pencil as set forth inclaim 1 wherein the guide means is integral with the first adjustingspindle means.